Despite all the progress and modernity of the contemporary world provided by capitalist institutions, it is without a doubt that this progress has come at the cost of dehumanization, inequity, exploitation and oppression. The story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells is full of these elements, from the unethical extraction of her cells to the rich industry built around their production and derivative products. The revival of Marxism in the social sciences provides critical insight into the functioning of these institutions within society. Individuals who profited from sales, derivative products, and research evaded reciprocity from those who provided the means to do so. Before the successful cultivation of HeLa cells, every attempt to grow the cells in culture failed. This obstacle became the focused work of Dr. George Gey of Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins served the majority of the poor black community seeking care in the immediate Maryland area. This provided a goldmine for medical research, justified by his “generosity” and the Samaritan charter. Henrietta Lack's decision to seek treatment for her cervical cancer unknowingly designated her as arguably the greatest contribution to science and medicine. Upon realizing that human cells had finally been harvested and successfully reproduced, Dr. Gey immediately distributed the cells and his methodology to anyone who asked. As the explosion of HeLa cell research spread through the scientific community, many of Dr. Gey's colleagues urged him to publish or patent cells to take credit for his work, but his dedication to the work rather than credit prevented him from publishing many publications if nothing at all. The implications... at the heart of the card... through society and by implementing that awareness as a vehicle for change, we are forced to repeat these same injustices. Henrietta's cells have given society the ability to cure diseases, fight cancer, vaccinate children, and, by leaps and bounds, deepen our knowledge of biology in general. At what price does this progress come and who reaps these benefits? Henrietta's children do not have access to the advancements that their mother's body is responsible for and neither do countless other individuals on this planet. Where is the line drawn? Extracting HeLa cells without Henrietta's consent did not mark the end of exploitation, otherwise the cells would have remained common property within the scientific community. The story of Henrietta and her cells is a small act of a larger work that showcases the exploitative nature of capitalism and the bleak society it endlessly perpetuates..